The Fatherhood Effect
by hermionegirl424
Summary: A series of milestones that Sheldon goes through with his daughter, Lily. Sheldon, along with Amy, will discover the ups and downs of being a parent, from being on top of the world to questioning whether a theoretical physicist is cut out for this whole "being a dad" thing.
1. Love at First Sight

**Hi everyone! It's good to be back! I hope you all enjoy this next adventure, and it's A LOT happier then the last one! For those of you that read The Birthday Visitation Realization, Amy is very much alive in this story and Lily is the exact same one that was in the other story. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Big Bang Theory.**

As he sat there, he thought. How was this happening? When did it happen? How did Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper get here? All around him was noise. The noise of machines, the noise of the nurses, the noise of his wife panting, and the noise of the bones in his hand breaking as Amy was crushing his hand with power he had no idea she had. He thought back to that night.

_Sheldon and Amy had slipped out of the reception, and quickly made their way to the hotel room where their honeymoon suite awaited them. Sheldon had no idea what had come over him, but right now the only cure was Amy. As soon as they were in the elevator, Sheldon grabbed her face and kissed her with every fiber of his being._

_"Sheldon…what's gotten into you?" Amy asked in between kisses._

_"You're the most beautiful creature I've ever seen in my life." The elevator opened and Sheldon pulled Amy with him without breaking the kiss. They got to the door where Sheldon finally broke the kiss. His eyes were dilated and his face had a hunger that Amy had never even dreamed of. "It's time I treated you like one."_

_They both had agreed that they weren't going to force themselves into the social conventions of the wedding night, but it was as if getting married awakened something in Sheldon. Amy had chosen him. She could have had anyone, but she chose him. This beautiful creature was his. How could he thank her? He wanted show her how much this meant to him. How much she meant to him. With that, Sheldon picked Amy up bridal style over the threshold, and set her down in front of the bed. They gazed into each other's eyes for what seemed like forever._

_As Amy looked into Sheldon's eyes, he looked different. He didn't look like a scared little boy anymore. He looked like a confident man. He slowly made his way behind her, and slowly unbuttoned the back of her dress. Amy stopped breathing. What was he doing?_

_"Sh…Sheldon, what are you doing?"_

_Without a response, he slowly glided her sleeve down her left shoulder, and kissed her shoulder, which sent a shiver down Amy's spine._

_"Thanking you."_

_"For what?"_

_"For choosing me." He kissed her shoulder again. "For loving me." He kissed her neck. "And for making me who I am today." He then kissed her earlobe and continued._

_Amy was pretty sure she was going to go into cardiac arrest. Who was this man? Where did he come from? When did Sheldon get so…sexy?_

_"Kiss me," Sheldon whispered in her ear._

_She turned around and faced her husband. She was going to give in to him that easily. She slowly took Sheldon's jacket off, and threw it on the floor._

_"You vixen."_

_"I'm your vixen, Dr. Cooper," Amy purred._

_That was the last coherent sentence Amy spoke as Sheldon took Amy and gently laid her on the bed, as they finally became one._

Sheldon could easily say that that was the most magical night of his life. He finally gave in to his emotions, and let his guard down. He felt like the most powerful man on Earth that night. But as Spock would say, 'With great power comes great responsibility.' That responsibility came in the form of them staring at a small piece of plastic that contained their future.

_"But it doesn't mean anything right?' Sheldon asked frantically. "I mean it can be wrong, right?"_

_"That's not the point Sheldon, the point is that right now in this moment, it's…"_

_"But that wasn't the plan! We're…we're not ready!" Sheldon sat on the floor almost in tears. "I'm not ready._

_"Sheldon, believe it or not, I think you are. It's not like you're going through this alone. I'll be here with you. We're in this together. Sheldon hugged her and kissed her head. "Plus, this was the original plan, wasn't it? Gifting humanity with our combined DNA?"_

_Sheldon laughed as he cuddled with Amy as they looked with love at the plus sign in front of them._

That was the answer to his question. That's how they got here. That's how it happened. His wife screaming, however, interrupted him of his flashbacks.

"You can do it Amy. Just one more push," the midwife said.

"You can do this Amy. I love you." Sheldon whispered.

At that, Sheldon heard a high-pitched scream, and finally let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. As the doctor cleaned the baby up, Sheldon looked at his beautiful Amy. She was sweating, her hair was all over the place, she looked exhausted, but Sheldon thought she looked stunning.

"Congratulations," the midwife said with a pink bundle in her arms. "It's a girl!"

Sheldon and Amy both agreed it should be a surprise, and they didn't want to know the sex of the baby. Although, they didn't know it, they were both pulling for a girl. Amy always had wanted a girl, so she could give her the childhood she always wanted. Sheldon wanted a girl because he wanted a mini-Amy…and also he wanted to spoil her rotten.

Amy held the little girl in her arms, as Sheldon looked from above her shoulder. He couldn't believe that he and Amy had actually created the beautiful creature in front of them. He also couldn't believe that he could fall in love so easily with this girl. It was if he had known her forever. It was easy to see she had Sheldon's eyes, but to Sheldon's delight, she had Amy's smile.

"Dr. Cooper…would you like to hold your daughter?" Amy choked out.

Sheldon smiled as he slowly took her from Amy. He had held his nephew before, and it was a nice experience, but looking into his daughter's eyes, and seeing her smile made him go to a place he didn't even think was possible.

"How about Lily?" Amy whispered.

Sheldon looked into those beautiful blue eyes and smiled.

"Hi Lily!" With that, Lily smiled and her little hand came up which Sheldon grabbed and kissed. "Welcome to the family."

Sheldon finally let his guard down as tears streamed down his cheek. He gave Lily back to Amy, who was crying as well. He gave Amy a kiss on the head as he gazed in admiration of his daughter.

What they didn't realize however, was two minutes earlier, the gang was led in by the nurses, and had been standing in front of them watching the entire scene. They all were on the verge of tears, especially Leonard and Penny. Here was Dr. Sheldon Cooper…a father. They had seen him grow so much in such a short amount of time, and here he was holding his own daughter. Of course, they all wanted to meet their new niece, but for right now that could wait. They just watched in awe as Lily Cooper achieved the impossible…wrapped the great Dr. Sheldon Cooper around her finger.


	2. First Words

Sheldon watched as his daughter bounced around in her crib. Here she was only one and a half, and she already had such a personality. She held her hands out as if telling Sheldon she wanted him.

"What do you want, kid? Mom's at the store."

Sheldon knew what she wanted. She wanted her dad. Amy always scolded Sheldon for not ever putting her down and letting her sleep, but he couldn't help it.

"Alright…but don't tell Mom." He reached and grabbed his daughter, and gently put her on his lap. "Ok? Happy?"

Lily smiled.

"Of course, you're happy. You're with Dad. Who's got the best dad ever?" Sheldon put her finger on Lily's nose. "You do."

"Already trying to create a miniature version of yourself, I see."

Sheldon turned around to see Leonard with Penny.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm just stating a fact."

"I think Lily wants to see Aunt Penny," Penny said as she looked at her beautiful niece.

Sheldon looked at her.

"No, she wants to be with Dad."

"No, look she's waving at me! C'mon Sheldon!"

"Fine."

Penny took the little girl from Sheldon's arms.

"Hi Lily! Oh god, look at those eyes!"

"Those would be mine, thank you very much!"

Penny rolled her eyes.

"You know Lily, you changed a lot of things about your dad. But there are some things that just never change!"

Leonard came up behind Penny.

"Wow, she looks a lot like Amy," Leonard said.

"You should see her when she smiles," Sheldon said. "She's her mother's daughter."

"Has she said her first words yet," Penny asked.

"Not yet, but we're hoping it's soon."

Sheldon wouldn't tell Penny, but he was a little nervous that Lily hadn't said her first words. At this age, Sheldon could already talk complete sentences, but his own flesh and blood hadn't uttered a word.

"Don't worry," Penny said. "It'll happen soon enough."

At that, Amy walked through the door with bags in her hand.

"Hey guys! Oh, what are you doing up little missy," talking to Lily.

"It's Penny's fault!"

"No, it's not!" Penny said. "Sheldon was holding her when we got here."

"Sheldon?" Amy asked.

Sheldon's face went white.

"Is it my fault she wanted to spend time with me?"

Penny sat there and stared at Sheldon with Lily in her arms. Who would have thought Sheldon would be this hands-on with his daughter? Heck, even a father! If you would have asked Penny, years ago, how Sheldon was going to handle his own daughter, she would have said he either would have built a machine or have Amy do it for him. Lily starting to cry interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh no, sweetie! Don't cry! It's just Aunt Penny!"

It didn't help as she continued to cry.

"Can I hold her," Leonard asked. Penny gave her to Leonard. "Hi Lily! Uncle Leonard's here to make you smile!"

This only made Lily cry harder.

"Dear Lord, what are you doing," Sheldon said as he strode over to Leonard.

As soon as Lily saw Sheldon, not only did she stop crying, but also smiled at him.

"Hey, how'd you do that," Leonard asked.

"I didn't do anything, Leonard. I just gave Lily what she wanted."

"When she was just born," Amy said. "She didn't even stop crying for me, only Daddy."

Sheldon smiled. Whenever Amy called him 'Daddy' it warmed his heart. The fact that he had the power to make his daughter happy made him feel like a superhero. He couldn't wait to hear his own daughter call him 'Daddy.' With a smile, he put Lily back into her crib.

Penny and Leonard said goodbye to the three Coopers, and they left to go across the hall to their apartment, leaving the three alone. Sheldon was getting ready for Amy to yell at him for picking Lily up again, but instead she walked over to Lily's crib and smiled.

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

"What?"

"That together you and I brought this angel into the world."

Sheldon got up from his chair and put his arm around his wife.

"She's an angel just like her mother."

"And quite the attention-seeker like her father."

Sheldon smiled.

"Well, if she's going to be a world-renown scientist…"

"Sheldon, she doesn't have to be a scientist. She can be whatever she wants."

"No, she can't. Sheldon bent his head down. "Lily, you love science."

"Lily, don't listen to him! Just because Dad loves science doesn't mean you have do."

"Amy, stop brainwashing our child prodigy with hippy dippy malarkey," Sheldon said playfully.

"Well, I am known for doing that to people," Amy said as she leaned in to kiss Sheldon. Sheldon tried to fight her and tried not to kiss back, but as always he gave in to her. Finally, they broke apart.

"Amy, that's not fair!"

"What's not fair, Dr. Cooper? That? Or this?"

She then started kissing his neck, also known as his weak spot. Amy could have him do just about anything when she kissed him there.

"Amy," Sheldon moaned. He hated when Amy brainwashed him of all logic with her lips, but he also loved it at the same time. "Not in front of Lily."

"The brain shows that a human being recalls nothing until at least the age of 3."

"Well, it's hard to argue with that logic."

Sheldon kissed her and swept her off her feet as he headed for the bedroom. They had almost turned the corner, when they heard a noise.

" 'ience."

Sheldon and Amy both broke the kiss immediately, set Amy down, and they slowly made their way to Lily's crib.

"Did she just say something," Amy asked.

"I don't know. Lily, repeat your previous fragment."

"Sheldon, she doesn't know-"

" 'ience. Da' 'ove 'ience."

Sheldon looked at his daughter in confusion.

"What? What kind of alliance?"

Amy looked at her husband and shook her head as she choked back tears.

"No Sheldon. She said 'Dad loves science.'"

Sheldon looked at his daughter in awe. Her first word was science. Any other father would be disappointed her first word wasn't 'Da-da' or 'Daddy,' but to Sheldon it meant the world.

"Amy, she's a genius!"

"Oh Sheldon, she's-"

Amy didn't have time to finish as Sheldon pulled her into a passionate kiss, then into a romantic dip. For what seemed like forever, he finally broke the kiss.

"What was that for?"

"For making me the happiest man alive."

Sheldon looked at the sight in front of him. His two girls. He never thought he'd ever love a girl…let alone two. His life couldn't get any better. The three of them together could conquer the world!

"She'll be saying neurobiologist and physicist in no time!"


	3. First Day of School

**Hello again! Now we're really going to start to go into Sheldon and Amy's relationship with Lily, now that she's a little bit older. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so you hope you like it!**

He promised himself. He promised himself he wasn't going to do it. Why shouldn't he treat today like any other day? Sheldon was eating his oatmeal getting ready for work while Amy was waking Lily up. Amy was making a big deal out of this. Sheldon disagreed. Every kid went through this, even a genius with a 187 IQ did.

"Good morning sunshine," Amy cooed. "It's time for my little first grader to wake up!"

Lily's eyes jolted open.

"It's here! It's finally here!"

The six year old jumped out of bed faster then Amy could respond. She smiled at her little ball of energy. Lily reminded Amy of herself in so many ways. First of all, she looked exactly like her. She had pin straight brown hair, and even got her first pair of glasses a week ago.

"What would you like to wear for your first official day of school?"

"Hmmm." Lily examined her closet the same way Amy examined the brains in her lab. "I want to wear this…" She pointed to a striped cardigan. Like mother like daughter. "…and this." She pointed to a knee high brown skirt.

"That's a vey nice outfit, Lily. You're going to need some nice shoes to go with that."

"But Mommy, I don't have any nice shoes."

"What about these?" From behind her back, Amy pulled out a shoebox. Lily opened the box and gasped.

"Big girl shoes!"

Amy laughed at her daughter's excitement. It was amazing what a pair of patent leather buckle shoes could do to this girl.

"So, what would you like to do with your hair?"

"I want my butterfly clip!"

Amy shook her head.

"Let me guess…the purple sparkly one?"

Lily jumped up and down.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

As Amy put the clip in her daughter's hair, she watched her daughter look at herself in the mirror. It was like Amy was looking in a mirror. It seemed like only yesterday she was telling her mother what she wanted to wear on her first day of school. But this time, the roles were reversed. She was the mother. She was the one sending her daughter to school. It was times like this that made Amy emotional.

"Mommy, do you not like it?"

"No, no sweetie. I love it! I just can't believe how big you are! Why don't you go see Daddy?"

Lily ran to the living room to see her dad looking at his phone eating his oatmeal.

"Hi Daddy!"

Sheldon looked up and almost dropped his phone. There his daughter stood in her first day of school outfit with her trademark butterfly clip, her new black glasses, with a smile so big that it must have been hurting her face. She looked like Amy's six-year-old clone. When did she get so tall? How was it possible that she was already going to school for a full day?

"Lily, you look…"

"She looks great, doesn't she Daddy?" Amy said as she walked into the living room.

"Yes, you look ready to conquer the entire California education system." Amy rolled her eyes at her husband. "Now are we ready for protocol?"

"Yes." Lily then marched right in front of Sheldon and looked up to meet his face as Sheldon took out a clipboard and pen.

"Protocol?" Amy questioned.

"4 marble notebooks?"

"Yes."

"Pack of #2 pencils?"

"Yes."

"24 pack of Crayola crayons?"

"Yes."

"5 folders?"

"Yes."

"Are they color coded and labeled based on subject matter?"

"Yes."

"Pencil case?"

"Yes."

"Ruler?"

"Yes."

"Healthy snack?"

"Yes."

"Brown paper bag lunch, which consists of a sandwich, juicebox, and something sweet?"

"Yes."

"Purell?"

"That's not on the list."

"Doesn't matter. It's on my list."

"Yes."

"Everything labeled accordingly?"

"Yes."

"Do the labels say Lily Farrah Cooper with our address beneath it?"

"Yes."

"And last but not least, a backpack?" Lily went over to the couch and pulled out a Disney Princess backpack. Amy stared at Lily and Sheldon, mouth agape. Maybe Lily didn't just have Sheldon's eyes. "Are you sure you don't want that cool Justice League backpack I got you?"

"Dad, that backpack's for boys."

"No, it's not it's-"

"Sheldon," Amy whispered with an icy stare that shut him up immediately. "Ok Lily, put on your backpack so I can take a picture?"

"Really Amy? A picture? I hardly think that's necessary!"

However, Lily was already posing as Amy snapped the picture. Amy then gave her daughter a hug and knelt down to Lily's height.

"You're going to do great! Have fun, make new friends, and I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

"Alright kid, let's go before Mom squeezes your brains out," Sheldon said.

"Yay! Daddy's taking me to school!"

"Of course I am! You honestly think I'll let you ride that bus to school! Might as well ride a dumpster to school."

Sheldon shook his head as his daughter ran out of the apartment and down the stairs. _This enthusiasm won't last long_. _Wait until she gets there._

Lily jumped in the backseat as Sheldon got into the driver's seat. Pasadena Elementary was only five minutes away, but with Lily singing Disney Princess karaoke the entire way there, it felt like an hour. Finally, they pulled up at school, and Lily got very quiet. Sheldon waited for his daughter to get out of the car, and turned around to see her looking out the window.

"Lil, we're here."

"Daddy, what if they don't like me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what if they make fun of me."

Sheldon was at a loss. Amy was supposed to do these types of conversations, not him. Also, was he supposed to lie to Lily? There was an enormous possibility that she would get made fun of. It was basically in her DNA, but he didn't want to scare her either. He then knew what he was going to say. It would tell Lily what he wished he could have told himself when he was in first grade.

"Lily, you have an amazing gift. You know what that is?"

"What?"

"You're a Cooper."

"So?"

"So…that means that you don't take any shenanigans from anybody, and you have the brains to put them in their place. So even if they do make fun of you, just remember that that means they're scared of how smart you are. Just know that you'll find people that will care about you and love you for who you are…quirks and all."

"Promise?"

"Not only do I promise you, but I'm going to give you this to help protect you and help you make friends." From the glove compartment, Sheldon pulled out a Flash pin. "Mommy got this for me for my birthday one year, and it's helped me through a lot."

Lily took the pin and smiled at her dad.

"Thanks Dad. I love you."

"I love you too, Lil."

She gave Sheldon a kiss on the lips, opened up the door, and started walking towards the school. Sheldon watched his daughter walk away. How did this happen so quickly? She was just born, and now she's starting school. His little girl was growing up. Suddenly, Lily turned towards him, as she was about to go in the door. Sheldon was knocked out of his trance as he smiled, waved to her, and blew her a kiss, expecting her to do the same. But instead of waving to him, like all the other kids were doing, she smiled and gave her Dad the Vulcan salute. Whatever emotions Sheldon was stifling were immediately multiplied by a million. As he drove away from the school, he tried and tried. He promised himself. He promised he wouldn't get emotional at Lily's first day of school, but as tears started streaming down his face, there was no denying it. There are some promises that we just can't keep.

**A/N: Look at Sheldon, seeing his little girl grow up! I love how being a father has changed Sheldon, but in other ways he's still the same! Hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Dancing the Time Away

"C'mon Sheldon!"

"No."

"She's so excited about it."

"No."

"Fine, then you have to be the one to tell her when she gets home from school."

"Alright."

Just then, the door opened to reveal Lily, just coming home from fourth grade. She was actually doing sixth grade work, thanks to her teacher seeing her excel. Like her parents, she loved learning.

"Hi Mommy! Hi Daddy!"

"Well, hello my little duckling," Amy said as he wrapped her in her arms. "How was school today?"

"It was great! Miss Miller taught me algebra today! Anna, Jessie, and I were talking about Friday all during lunch! It's going to be so much fun, Dad!"

With that, Amy shot Sheldon a look. Sheldon looked from Amy to his smiling daughter. This was so much easier when she wasn't here. Sheldon gulped and approached his daughter. He kneeled down to Lily's height.

"Lily, I don't…I' don't think that…I don't think that I…"

"You don't think that what, Dad?"

Those eyes! What was it about those eyes? He told Amy he didn't want to go. Why couldn't he tell Lily?

"I don't think that…I can contain my excitement much longer for Friday night."

Lily smiled Sheldon's favorite smile.

"Me either." She then ran into her room leaving Amy shaking her head.

"Well Dad, that was certainly an interesting turn of events."

"Well, I figure it is only one night, and how bad could it be?"

"Or our daughter has Daddy wrapped around her little finger."

Sheldon rolled his eyes at Amy and went to his desk. It couldn't be that bad right?

* * *

><p>"Well Mom, what do you think?"<p>

Amy gasped. Lily looked beautiful in her blue dress. It was the perfect length and had little flowers around the collar. Her hair was curled in a ponytail thanks to Penny and Bernadette, while Emily put a touch of makeup on her, and she of course was sporting her patent leather shoes!

"Lily, you look beautiful. C'mon let's show Dad!"

Outside in the living room, the gang sat highly anticipating their niece's reveal and Sheldon was in his suit with a tie that matched Lily's dress perfectly. He looked at his watch, fearing that he would be late.

"Hi Daddy!" Seeing his daughter so happy and so beautiful made Sheldon smile. Sure, he was dreading this all week, but with Lily with him, he thought perhaps this was a good decision after all.

The gang was busy fawning over how pretty Lily looked. Raj was busy taking pictures while Howard gave her a twirl, and the girls were in the corner proud of their work.

"Hold on there, little lady! I think you're forgetting something."

Sheldon took from his desk a corsage with a blue ribbon. He kneeled down to tie it on Lily's wrist. As he tied it, Lily looked closer at the flowers.

"Oh my gosh Daddy, you got me lilies!"

"Well, I thought it was only appropriate." Amy was holding back tears as she saw the scene in front of her. She didn't tell Sheldon to get a corsage. How did he even know that that was even a thing? And the fact that he got her a corsage of lilies just put Amy over the edge. "C'mon kid, let's go."

They left the apartment to the gang speechless.

"That was probably the cutest thing I've ever seen," Penny said.

"I mean, a corsage made of lilies, that's just…I can't even," Raj wept.

Amy smiled. She knew that this would be good for Sheldon to spend some one on one time with his daughter. It was these moments that he would crave and miss in a couple years. He just didn't know it yet.

Sheldon and Lily walked into the Pasadena Elementary School gym that was all decorated from ceiling to floor. There was a buffet, a DJ, and a banner at the front reading "Welcome to the 10th Annual Father-Daughter Dance!" Sheldon sighed. There were so many people here!

"Dad, come watch me dance!"

Lily had already made her way to the dance floor. The song was an upbeat song that reminded him of the song he and Amy danced to the night of their first kiss. Sheldon slowly made his way to the dance floor, and watched his daughter twirl and pull out some pretty good dance moves."

"Hey that was pretty good," Sheldon said as he awkwardly swayed from side to side. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

"Uncle Howard and Uncle Raj taught me."

Sheldon rolled his eyes. He would talk to his friends about that later.

"So, how are you old are you now, 25?"

Lily laughed.

"I'm ten, Daddy!"

"Oh right, ten," Sheldon said playfully. "Ten." He took a second to fully absorb that as he looked into the beautiful blue eyes of his daughter as she spun around. Ten?

_"Welcome home Lily," Amy said as she opened the door to 4A. The little bundle of joy was just waking up from her first nap. All of a sudden, she started to cry. "Oh no Lily, don't cry! Shhh!_

_"Why is she crying," Sheldon panicked._

_"She's probably just hungry. Here let's try this!" She put the bottle near Lily, but she swatted it away._

_"Okay…let me try just holding her," Amy said sounding less calm. That didn't work either. "Sheldon why isn't she stopping?"_

_"I don't know! Aren't you supposed to know that?" Sheldon shouted in full panic mode. _

_"I'm going to go get the book. Just hold her for a second." _

_Sheldon took Lily from Amy like he was carrying a glass sculpture. He didn't know what to do! All of a sudden, their eyes locked and Lily stopped crying. Sheldon took a seat in his spot and smiled at his daughter._

_"How did you do that?" Amy asked as she returned from the bedroom._

_"I didn't do anything. I just…held her."_

_"Looks like she's already Daddy's little girl."_

_"Well, that's a valid conclusion. I'm the father, she's female, and she's only nine inches in length."_

_Amy rolled her eyes._

_"You know what I'm talking about, Sheldon." However, Sheldon didn't respond as he was cast under the spell of his daughter. "I'm going to go to bed."_

_"Okay." His eyes still on Lily, as Amy smiled._

_"Just remember to put her in her crib when you're ready."_

_Sheldon silently nodded as Amy left the two alone._

_"Lily, you are just…fascinating you know that? I mean, I knew that together your mother and I would create an offspring, but you're actually here now. You're real."_

_This was the first time he and Lily were actually alone together. When he first held her, they were in a hospital filled with people, but this was more intimate. This person that had not even been alive for a week had Sheldon feeling emotions that he had never felt in his life. He didn't even realize Lily had fallen asleep._

_"How do you do this,_ _Lily? How do you make me feel like this?"_

_When Amy was pregnant with Lily, she was sometimes very emotional, and to cheer her up, he would sing to her. He started with Soft Kitty, but the last time he sang it, she threw a dish at him. So, he thought of a song that he heard on the radio that day. That song always put Amy at ease. So, he decided to sing it to Lily,_

_"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day._

_When it's cold outside I've got the month of May._

_I guess you'd say_

_What can make me feel this way?_

_My girl (my girl, my girl)_

_Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl)."_

Sheldon looked at his daughter dancing in awe. It seemed like that was just yesterday, yet it was a decade ago. Where did all that time go? He was taken out of his trance by applause when the song had ended.

"Do you want to go home now," Lily asked.

"No…no, we can stay," Sheldon said. Suddenly, he wanted to be here with Lily, like he was never going to see her again after this night.

A new song then started, and Sheldon smiled at his daughter because he recognized the song instantly.

"You wanna dance with me," Sheldon asked as he leaned down to meet Lily's eyes.

"That's okay. You don't like the slow songs."

"No, no…I want to." He pulled his daughter close to him and took her hand as she put her other hand and put it around his waist. They swayed in time and locked eyes just as they did ten years ago.

_I've got sunshine on a cloudy day._

_When it's cold outside I've got the month of May._

_I guess you'd say_

_What can make me feel this way?_

_My girl (my girl, my girl)_

_Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl)._

"It's going fast enough," Sheldon smiled and kissed his daughter's head. "Definitely going fast enough."

**A/N: I don't know how about you guys, but I'm loving writing these chapters more and more as Lily gets older. Your reviews, as always, mean the world to me! The next one is going to be a little less fluffy as it is as all children get older. We're headed to the dreaded teenage years!**


	5. Launch Failure

**I'm back! This is going to be the first rock in the road for the Cooper clan, which takes Sheldon for a ride! Enjoy!**

"Happy Anniversary, sweetie."

"Happy Anniversary."

Leonard and Penny clinked their glasses, and drank their wine. Penny couldn't believe how far she and Leonard had come from being neighbors that were too afraid to express their own feelings. Penny's thoughts were interrupted by a frantic knock at their door.

"Aunt Penny…Uncle Leonard!"

Penny knew immediately who it was. She opened the door to reveal a sobbing Lily who hugged her like her life depended on.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

"I'm a failure!"

Penny glanced at Leonard, who looked confused. Lily was a very strong, independent girl. Like her dad, she didn't let her guard down very often.

"Lily, you are not a failure. I don't know what's going on, but I do know that my Lily Vanilli doesn't know the meaning of the word failure."

Lily smiled as her uncle eased her, and patted the seat next to him for her to sit down.

"Now Lily, tell us what's wrong," Penny said as she sat on Lily's other side.

Lily rubbed her eyes and sniffed.

"Ok, but you can't tell Mom and Dad."

"Your secret's safe with us," Penny said as she wrapped her arm around her niece.

"I'm…I'm failing science."

Leonard and Penny didn't know what exactly they were expecting, but it certainly wasn't that as they stared at each other with eyes big as saucers.

"Oh," they both said in unison.

"Well Lily, not all sciences are the same, some of them are really difficult, right Uncle Leonard?"

"Y…Yeah! I mean, I was terrible at Earth Science in high school, but here I am still a scientist."

"R…Right. See problem solved!"

They were both in panic mode. This wasn't supposed to be how it was. Lily was supposed to excel in science. It was in her DNA!

"I'm failing physics." Leonard and Penny gasped. "He's never going to speak to me again!"

Leonard and Penny knew exactly who Lily was talking about and felt so much empathy for their niece.

"Can I use your bathroom?"

"Sure, sweetie."

As soon as the door shut, Penny grabbed Leonard's arm.

"Oh my god! What are we going to do?"

"I don't know!"

"I mean, physics? Of all things?"

"I know. He's going to flip out."

"Wait, I think I have an idea!"

* * *

><p>As Lily was composing herself in the bathroom, she heard a knock at the door.<p>

"Come in."

Penny came in smiling.

"Hey, sweetie. When you're ready, come out to the living room. Uncle Leonard and I think we found the solution to your problem."

Lily looked at her aunt in confusion, but followed her out where she was faced with her worst nightmare.

"Mom!"

"Lily, Uncle Leonard and Aunt Penny told me that you're upset about something, but you're afraid of what Dad's going to think."

"We'll leave you two alone." Leonard said and they both went into their bedroom.

Amy and Lily looked at each other for what seemed like forever.

"Mom, I…I…"

"Lily, whatever it is, you know that-"

"Mom, I'm failing physics," Lily blurted.

Lily didn't know whether it was sadness or relief, but at that moment, she broke down. What she didn't expect was to feel her mother's arms wrap around her.

"Oh Lily, is that what this is all about?"

"I'm sorry, Mom."

"Don't be sorry, baby."

"He's never going to talk to me again."

At those words, Amy broke the hug and looked into her daughter's eyes.

"Lily Farrah Cooper. Your father loves you with every fiber of his being. It's going to take a lot more then that to have him stop talking to you for even a day. Yes, he may be a little shocked at first, but you know he only wants what's best for you. He just sometimes forgets that you're not him, and you have different ambitions then he did when he was your age, but as long as you stand your ground, you'll be fine."

"Thanks Mom. I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

><p>Lily walked in to see her dad typing at his computer.<p>

"D…Dad, can I…talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, kiddo. What's up?" Sheldon said as he turned to face Lily.

"Um, it's about physics."

"Is it too easy for you? I knew it! At thirteen, you should be doing the type of problems I do. Don't worry, I'll talk to your teacher and have it all straightened-"

"Dad, I'm struggling with it."

Sheldon stopped dead.

"What do you mean…struggling?"

"I…I…I'm not doing well in the class."

"Ok, well I guess if we work hard enough we can get a B+ up to an A, but we're going to have to put in a lot of-"

"No Dad, I'm failing the class!"

Sheldon's jaw dropped.

"Failing? As in an F?"

"I'm sorry Daddy! It's just really hard!"

"Well maybe, you're just not trying hard enough!"

"Dad, I go and see a tutor every day after school!"

"I thought you were going to the science club?"

"Well, I knew you'd be mad at me, so I lied."

Sheldon was beside himself. First, she was failing physics and now she was lying to him?

"You can't do this to me, Lil. This was not the plan!"

"Dad, this is MY LIFE!" If I don't like physics, I shouldn't be forced to do it for the rest of my life just because you want me to! This isn't our plan, it's YOUR PLAN!"

Lily stomped to her room leaving Sheldon speechless. Lily had never talked like that to him. They had never argued like that…ever! He was so out of it, he didn't even notice Amy walking into the room.

"From the shouting, I take it didn't go well?"

"She's failing physics, Amy." Sheldon said not taking his eyes off the wall.

"Sheldon, remember in high school when you barely passed art?"

"What a pathetic excuse for a graduation requirement."

"Some people were naturally just good at it. Can you imagine if your parents forced you to pursue art?"

"I would have set myself on fire."

"That's basically how Lily feels right now."

"But art is useless, science is the foundation of the entire universe. Without science, art wouldn't even exist!"

"Sheldon, your plan for Lily should be to support her ambitions, no matter what. She's your daughter…not your clone."

* * *

><p>Lily sat on her bed reading a magazine, when she heard her dad's signature knock.<p>

"Lily…Lily…Lily."

"What?"

Sheldon came in and looked at his daughter.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Fine."

Sheldon sat down on Lily's bed.

"I'm sorry I 'flipped out' on you earlier. No one is perfect, not even me, so I shouldn't force you to do something if you don't have the passion to do it. So, no pushing anymore. Deal?"

"Deal."

"And about together you, me, and Mom get you through physics? We'll do a little review at home and then you can go to the tutor after school."

"Okay. That sounds like a good plan."

They hugged and Sheldon walked with his daughter out of her room with his arm draped around her.

"Just out of curiousity Lil, do you have any interest in art?"

"Oh god, I hate art!"

"Good."

**I thought it might be interesting if Lily wasn't the science prodigy she was raised to be! We'll go more into that when she gets a little bit older! Keep reviewing! **


	6. First Date

**Here's another chapter! Now that Lily has a budding social life, how will Sheldon handle Lily taking one of her relationships to the next level?**

Lily ran up the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her. She couldn't believe that just happened! She just had to tell her mom! She ran into 4A to her mother cooking dinner.

"Is Dad here?"

"No, sweetie. He's caught up at work today."

"Good."

Amy turned around in confusion.

"Good?"

"Yeah, guess what?"

"What?"

"Gary asked me out!"

Amy gasped.

Lily had been crushing over Gary for years. They met when she was in second grade, and bonded over their intelligence. Lily told her about her growing feelings for Gary about a year ago, and Amy had been nothing but supportive to her daughter.

"Oh my gosh! Lily I'm so happy for you!" She pulled her daughter close and hugged her. "I hate to ruin the moment, but you do know that means we have to tell him, right?"

Lily broke the hug and stared at Amy.

"No we don't!"

"Lily, he's your father."

"Exactly."

Over the past year, Gary had been a secret kept from Sheldon. He had no clue that his daughter was even interested in anybody.

"Lil…"

"Mom, you know Dad's going to flip out over this. It's going to be so embarrassing!"

Amy realized her daughter brought up a valid argument. If she were in her position, would she tell Sheldon she was going on a date with a boy he didn't know? No way!

"I'll help you, and if he still is against it, I'll talk to him."

"Thanks Mom."

Right on cue, Sheldon came through the door.

"Hi honey," Amy said a little too enthusiastically.

"Hello," Sheldon said slightly taken aback as he gave Amy a kiss.

"Hi Daddy!"

"Hey Lil, how was school today?"

"G…Good." She glanced at her mother for support.

"Actually, it was better then good. Lily, don't you have something you want to tell your father?"

"So Dad, there's this boy in school. His name's Gary, and…well…" She glanced at Amy who gave her a reassuring nod. "He asked me whether I wanted to go to the movies with him tonight."

"How many people are going?"

"It's…umm…it's just us."

Sheldon froze. The two of them? At the movies? Alone? That could only mean one thing.

"Lily, are you trying to tell me that this Gary fellow is asking you out on a date?"

Lily nodded.

"Absolutely not."

"Dad!"

"Sheldon!"

"You're fifteen years old, Lily. You can date when I believe you're old enough."

"And when's that?"

"When you're 30."

Amy had enough, and it was time for her to intervene.

"Lily, could I speak to your father in private, please?" Lily nodded as she stomped to her room, hoping her mother could knock some sense into him. "Sheldon, she's going on that date."

"Amy, she's fifteen years old!"

"Which is a perfectly normal age to start dating…plus she really likes this guy."

"You knew about this?"

"Yes, I didn't tell you because I knew this was going to happen! You were going to just freak out instead of letting your daughter have an actual social life!" Sheldon crossed his arms, looked at the floor, and mumbled something. "What, Sheldon? I can't hear you."

"I just don't want to see her get hurt."

"She won't. She's a smart girl, plus you taught her your 'Stranger Danger' thing."

* * *

><p>Amy heard a knock at the door, and opened to see a very attractive boy on the other end with a flower in his hand. He had wavy brown hair, and was wearing a nice button down shirt. She approved.<p>

"You must be Gary!"

"Hello, Dr. Fowler. It's an honor to meet you."

"Oh please, call me Amy. Lily will be here in a moment. You're welcome to have a seat!"

"Yes Gary, please have a seat." Gary turned around to see what he had been dreading for hours.

"Dr. Cooper! A pleasure to meet you, sir!" He stuck out his hand for a handshake, which Sheldon just stared at, as he slowly made his way to his spot.

"Have a seat," Sheldon said as he patted the white chair next to him. Gary was visibly shaking as he sat in the chair. "So Gary, you're sixteen, correct?"

"Y…Yes."

"Tell me Gary…do you always find yourself going for younger women?"

"Sheldon!" Amy hollered from the kitchen as Sheldon huffed.

"Well, do you have any idea what you want to study in college?"

"Yeah, actually I…I want to become a scientist. I literally think science is the coolest subject on Earth."

"First of all, flattery will get you nowhere, young man. Second of all, the word 'literally' was completely unnecessary given the context of your sentence."

"Oh…um…no Dr. Cooper, my whole family is into the sciences. You're someone I admire greatly. My father may have different opinions, but I truly believe you are one of the greatest minds of our generation."

Sheldon stared at Gary for about ten seconds. For Gary, it felt like Dr. Cooper was staring into his soul. He knew the great Dr. Sheldon Cooper wouldn't let his only daughter go out with just anyone, but he had to prove himself worthy.

"How is your academic standing?"

"I'm currently in the top ten of my class."

"Your extracurricular activities?"

"I'm on the debate team, president of the science club, and I write for the school newspaper."

"Star Trek or Star Wars?"

"Definitely, Star Wars."

"Babylon 5 or Firefly?"

"Firefly by a landslide."

Sheldon took a deep breath. This kid was good…unfortunately.

"Ok Gary, you've passed the test. I only have one more thing to say…if this is some sort of joke and it is revealed you are using my daughter, you'll have to answer to me."

"I assure you Dr. Cooper, Lily is no joke to me."

"Hi Gary!"

Lily came out wearing a black dress with a jacket with her hair down and just enough makeup.

"Hi Lily! You look great."

"Thanks!"

The way they looked at each other reminded Amy of the way she and Sheldon looked at each other. It said so much without saying a word.

"Well you guys have fun," Amy said as she hugged her daughter.

"You have money for your tickets and popcorn," Sheldon asked.

"Don't worry Dr. Cooper. It's my treat!"

Sheldon nodded at Gary with approval. He actually liked this Gary kid. They turned to the door and Sheldon remembered he didn't have a crucial piece of information from Gary.

However, they had already left.

"Kinda reminds you of us. Don't you think?" Amy said as she smiled up at her husband.

"I never drooled over you like that!"

Amy smirked.

"You may think you didn't…"

"I never even got his last name, Amy. This boy could be a maniac for all we know!"

"Hold on, Lily left up her Facebook. I'm sure she's friends with him." Amy went over the computer. She searched Gary's name, and got a result. Then, her eyes widened as she glanced at the computer and then at Sheldon. She quickly closed the computer. "You know what Sheldon? It doesn't matter. He seemed like a fine young boy. I'm sure-"

"Nope. I'm finding out this Gary's identity right now."

He opened the computer to see Gary's picture along with his full name. No. It couldn't be! For next to his profile picture, were two words that killed Sheldon's soul.

Gary Kripke

* * *

><p>Kripke. Gary Kripke. He just allowed his own daughter to go out with his enemy's own flesh and blood! He sat there in his spot just watching the clock tick, his daughter's voice echoing in his mind. <em>So Dad, there's this boy in school. His name's Gary, and…well…he asked me whether I wanted to go to the movies with him tonight. <em>The car keys were rattling in his fidgeting hands.

"Sheldon? SHELDON?"

"What," Sheldon asked as he was taken out of his trance.

"I asked what you wanted to do for dinner tonight?"

"Actually, I think I'm going to get Lily." He stood up quickly and made his way to the door.

"It's 7:30. The movie just started."

"Oh, I'm not going right there. I was going to stop for gas, maybe get something to eat…"

"Uh huh."

"There's bound to be traffic too."

"Yeah ok."

As Sheldon closed the door, Amy shook her head. He just couldn't let go.

* * *

><p>"Hi, can I help you?"<p>

"Yes, one ticket please."

As Sheldon made his way to an empty seat, he glanced from the balcony to the bottom floor to see Gary and Lily sitting together. He was about to sit down when he noticed a familiar face sitting next to him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, if you must know Coopa, I'm making sure this movie is appwopwiate fow ow childwen!"

"It's rated G, Kripke."

"Pwus I could ask you the same question."

"Father of the daughter always arrives early for pickup, everybody knows that." Sheldon was distracted as he looked down to see Gary stretching his arm up. "Oh no!"

"What?"

"Penny warned me about this! Your son is harassing my daughter!"

"He's just stwetching Coopa, chill out."

"No, no. He's subtly putting his arm around her in some sort of affectionate way."

"Gawy would do nothing of the sowt."

"That brings me to my next order of business. Could you not think of a more original name for your own offspring?"

"Hey, what I name my son is iwwelevant."

"Your son is a pile of raging hormones that is brainwashing my daughter!"

"Well, at weast my son will fowow in my footsteps as he excews in science. Unwike Wiwy, who's excewing in…ENGWISH!"

At this, Sheldon tackled Barry to the ground creating a scene causing quite the commotion on the balcony. They each had an usher holding them as they lead them out of the theater. The last thing Sheldon saw were Lily's heartbreaking eyes looking up at him before she buried her face in her hands.

* * *

><p>Lily came storming through the door.<p>

"Hey honey, how'd it…go?"

"Dad was totally spying on me!" On cue, Sheldon slowly walked through the door with an ice pack on his head. Lily turned to him. "You ruined everything!"

Lily ran to her room, and slammed the door with enough power to shake the apartment. Amy looked at her husband who refused to meet her eyes. She gave him a hug.

"I told you, the closer you hold her, the more she'll want to pull away."

Sheldon nodded. He couldn't even imagine the embarrassment he put Lily through tonight, but all he was trying to do was protect her. He wanted Lily to be independent and free to make her own choices. He wasn't one of those hovering parents, right? Or was he?

**Poor Sheldon! He's just can't let his little girl go! What did you guys think of Gary? Thought that was a fun twist! Keep those reviews coming!**


	7. Major Decision

**Here's another chapter up! Lily drops a bombshell on both Amy and Sheldon. Will she have their support? Find out and enjoy!**

"I had a great time tonight, Gary." Lily said as her boyfriend opened the door to 2311 Los Robles.

"I was hoping you'd be open to bowling. I didn't think you'd actually beat me though." They laughed as they made their way up the stairs. "Lily, does your dad hate me?"

"No Gary, my dad doesn't hate you, he just…he's very protective. Letting go isn't exactly something he excels at."

"Have you told him yet?"

"Of course not."

"Lil, you can't hide this from him forever. You have to tell him eventually."

"I haven't even told my mom yet, but I've been dropping hints to her. She always has my back when it comes to Dad though, so I'm not worried about her."

"Okay, but you have to tell them…tonight."

Lily stopped on the last stair before Apartment 4A. She turned and kissed Gary's cheek.

"I will."

She was about to walk forward when Gary pulled her into a passionate kiss that took her breath away. They slowly broke apart.

"Good."

She walked into her apartment to see her mother cleaning and her father on his computer. As soon as he heard the door, Sheldon gave Lily an icy stare.

"What Dad?" Sheldon said nothing but thrust out his arm so Lily could read his watch. "It's 10:45."

"You said you'd be back by 10."

"The bowling match was longer then we thought, plus Gary and I were talking about…important things."

"Important things, huh? What kind of important things?"

Gary's voice echoed in her head. _You need to tell them…tonight. _It was now or never. She took a deep breath.

"Mom, Dad, I think we need to talk…you may need to sit down."

Sheldon and Amy eyed their daughter curiously as they made their way to the sofa and Lily sat in the white chair.

"I know we've been looking at schools with good chemistry programs, but I don't know if I want to major in chemistry."

Lily watched as her parents exchanged confusing glares.

"Ok Lily, what would you like to major in?" Amy asked.

"Well, I know I'm acing chemistry, but Mrs. Reilly told me that she thinks I'm really talented-"

"Your English teacher?" Sheldon asked.

"Yeah, and well, I've been doing a lot of thinking, and…"

"And?" Amy asked.

"Mom, Dad…I want to be an English teacher."

Lily didn't know what she was expecting from her parents, but all she saw were their shocked faces. Sheldon's jaw was basically on the floor.

"E…English?" Amy stuttered. She shouldn't have been that surprised that her daughter got her love of literature, but it was only a hobby for Amy. It wasn't a career.

"Teacher?" Sheldon said as if Lily had just grown another head.

"Yes."

After what seemed like forever, Sheldon broke the silence.

"Lily, teaching is for people who have washed-up careers, and English is a profound waste of a career."

"No, it's not Dad! I love English! Do you know how it felt when Mrs. Reilly told me I'm one of the most talented students she's ever had? I've never felt so proud of myself in my whole life!" Again, you could hear a pin drop. "Mom?"

Amy was frozen. She always had been on Lily's side, and had helped Sheldon see her daughter's side. However, this time she wasn't on Lily's side.

"Lily…I know you love English…but do you think maybe you should think a little more practically…"

"I can't believe it. You're taking his side."

"I'm not taking his side. I just want what's best for you."

"Maybe this IS what's best for me! I'm sorry you guys didn't get the scientific prodigy you wanted, but maybe I actually don't want to be the next Dr. Cooper! Maybe I just want to be me!"

Sheldon and Amy looked like they had had a heart attack.

"It's Gary, isn't it? He's the one that pushed you into this insane mindset," Sheldon said.

"Dad, Gary has nothing to do with this!"

"I knew from the beginning he'd brainwash you with his raging hormones."

"Dad, oh my god, Gary was the one who gave me the confidence to even saying anything to you!"

"Sweetie, your father just wants you to have a good respectable career," Amy said as she tried to reason with her daughter.

"What about what makes me HAPPY Mom! Forget about contributions to the world and doctorates and whatever, I just want to do something that I love!"

Amy stared at Lily. She brought up a good argument…but what about the next great Cooper?

"Dad and I are going to talk about it, and…"

"You're going to TALK about it! I can't believe this! You guys just cannot stand the fact that you're going to have to say that your daughter is an English major, and she's not going to make the next great science contribution because she doesn't want to be like the great Dr. Sheldon Cooper or the great Dr. Amy Fowler-Cooper, she actually wants to be herself, instead of HER PARENT'S FREAKING PRODIGY CHILD!"

All you could hear was Lily's panting as Sheldon and Amy fully absorbed what their daughter said.

"Lily Cooper, go to your room right now," Sheldon said with his arms crossed.

"Oh, so instead of being supportive, you're just going to treat me like a child?"

"You're seventeen Lily, you're still legally a minor! No daughter of mine is going to teach a bunch of clueless individuals their ABC's!"

"Sheldon!"

At this, Lily was ready to break down into tears. Her father was patronizing her…on purpose!

"So because I'm not going to be the next great Dr. Cooper, you're ashamed of me?"

Sheldon said nothing. "Lily…"

"Both of you stay away from me!"

Lily ran off to her room, while Amy tried to stop her.

"Lil…"

She turned to her parents with so much rage and anger inside of her.

"Just go away, I hate you!"

Then, the door slammed, and Sheldon and Amy just stared. At what, they weren't entirely sure, but they both felt like they just died after the words that came out of Lily's mouth. Amy finally turned around to Sheldon. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, and his expression was unreadable.

"Sheldon?"

_Just go away, I hate you…Just go away, I hate you…Just go away, I hate you…_

Those words just echoed over and over in his mind. They had their arguments, and slight differences in opinion, but this? This was a whole different level. He even shuddered when that word echoed through his mind. That ugly word that made him feel…small.

"Sheldon, sweetie."

Without even thinking, Sheldon ran out of the apartment. He didn't care that he didn't bring his coat, he didn't care it was freezing, he just needed to get out of there. He made it to the end of the block until he instantly regretted not preparing himself for the cold, but he needed to think. He used the streetlight for support as he relaxed and thought. He didn't even notice Amy walk next to him.

"Sheldon…"

His wife gently put a scarf on him, and caressed his face. He opened his eyes and stared into space.

"What am I doing, Amy?" Amy didn't know what he was talking about so she didn't respond. "We both know I wasn't meant for this."

"Meant for what?"

He turned towards Amy, and met her eyes for the first time in hours.

"Amy, you were meant to be a mother. You always look out for people, you take care of them when they're in need, and you love people no matter what. Me? I'm just a theoretical physicist that's pretending to be a father."

Amy was stunned. Sheldon didn't think he was a good father! Lily telling him she hated him basically told Sheldon that he failed as a parent. Before his doubts went any further, Amy kissed him, which he fully responded to. When they broke apart, Amy took Sheldon's face and forced him to look into her eyes.

"Sheldon Lee Cooper, you are the most amazing father anyone could ask for."

"But she hates me Amy."

"She was angry, Sheldon. Remember she said she hated me too. I was devastated, but I realized that if I were her, I probably would have said the same thing. We were being selfish and we weren't thinking about what our daughter wants."

"But Amy, teaching English?"

"If it's what she wants, we should support her."

Sheldon nodded.

"I love you Amy."

"I love you too."

They walked hand in hand back to the apartment.

"We should probably talk to her," Amy said and they made their way to Lily's room.

"Lily?" Amy knocked.

No response.

"Lily, come on! Open up."

No response.

"Dad and I want to talk to you."

Still nothing.

"Okay missy. We're coming in!"

Sheldon and Amy opened the door to something they didn't expect…any empty room.

"Lily?" Amy said to the empty room.

Amy nervously started going through the house calling her daughter's name. Sheldon just stood still not believing that his own daughter was missing. Suddenly, something on her bed caught his eye.

"Amy!"

Amy ran into the room where Sheldon sat on Lily's bed holding something.

"What? Did you find her?"

Sheldon said nothing as Amy joined him on her bed. She looked at what Sheldon was holding, and swore her heart stopped. In Sheldon's hand, was an envelope labeled.

_To Mom and Dad_

**Cliffhanger! Where's Lily, and what is in that envelope? Please review and I hope you enjoyed!**


	8. Lost

**So, what's in the envelope? Thank you again for all of the reviews! Read and find out!**

They don't know how long they stared at it. Seconds, minutes, hours, they didn't know. They didn't care. Anything could be in that envelope. A million scenarios went through Sheldon's mind good, bad, and ugly.

"Open it." Amy said breathlessly.

Sheldon was shaking as he ripped the envelope to reveal a folded piece of paper. He unfolded to reveal a letter in Lily's beautiful handwriting.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I'm sorry to do this to you, but I just can't take this anymore. For years, I've accepted the fact that my parents are world-renowned scientists and that wasn't my calling. I wasn't going to be the next great Cooper, and at first I was devastated. Being good in science was inevitable. It was basically in my DNA. When I was failing physics, I felt ashamed. It was almost as if I destroyed the family name, like I was Lily Cooper: The Disappointing Child. But after that talk with you guys, and helping me through physics, I actually felt that not excelling in science was actually okay. I was finally able to accept myself as me. I know majoring in English was going to be a big pill to swallow, but I wasn't expecting my own parents to turn against me. You always taught me to go after my dreams, but now I can't because my dreams are apparently "impractical." Well, not everyone in my life is that like that, which is why I'm going to where I'm appreciated. I know that a career in English is hard, but I thought that that was what being a Cooper was about. Not caring what other people think, and showing the world what you can do no matter how difficult it is. I also thought I had supportive parents. I obviously was wrong on both accounts._

_Lily_

Amy was sobbing on Sheldon's shoulder as Sheldon's eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill out.

"Oh god, Sheldon! What have we done?" Sheldon had no words. He just held Amy and his daughter's letter hoping this whole night was just a very detailed nightmare. "Where's our baby girl?"

At that, Sheldon's eyes went from misty to determined. He had a mission.

"Call Leonard, Penny, and everyone else. I'll call the police."

* * *

><p>In a matter of minutes, the gang was in the living room as Sheldon was talking to the chief officer.<p>

"She's about 5'5. She's seventeen years old, and here's a recent picture."

"Thank you Dr. Cooper. I think we have enough information. We'll contact you if we find out anything."

Penny was holding Amy as Howard was holding Bernadette's hand, and Raj and Leonard were comforting Emily. The door closed and everyone looked at Sheldon.

"Howard and Bernadette, you're going to drive around Pasadena. Raj and Emily, you're going to hang up these missing posters on the block. Leonard and Penny, you're going to stay here just in case we get any calls. And Amy, you're coming with me.

Usually, everyone would ignore Sheldon and his dictator like personality, but they all did exactly what they were told, and went right into action. Sheldon then took Amy's hand and ran down the staircase, out of the apartment, and into the car.

"Sheldon, where are we going?"

"To get our baby girl back."

* * *

><p>"So you just ran away?"<p>

"I didn't have a choice, Gary. They went too far."

"Yeah, but a letter? Lil, I love you but I can't keep you from your parents. They love you, and they're probably worried sick about you."

Lily looked at Gary. He was right. It was wrong to put him in this position, when she was the one that put herself in this scenario.

"You're right, Gary. I'm sorry."

"You want me to drive you home?"

"No…I got myself here. I can get myself back."

"Okay, I love you."

"I love you too."

They kissed and Lily gave Gary one last wave before he shut the door. She started walking down the block. The only problem was it was dark. During the day, she could get to Gary's house blindfolded; now she felt like she was in a foreign place. All she heard were sirens, dogs barking, cars, and footsteps. She was terrified! So she ran. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care.

* * *

><p>"Sheldon, we looked there already."<p>

Sheldon and Amy had looked at every location that had some significance to Lily, but had no luck. They checked her friends' houses, her school, nothing.

"There has to be somewhere we haven't looked." He thought and thought. Suddenly, it all made sense.

"Amy, I know where she is."

"Where?"

"She's at Gary's."

Lily felt like she was going in circles. She had no idea where she was or where she had already been. She wanted to be home, but she could never face her parents after what she did. She found what looked like a park, and found a large tree, where she broke down crying.

"Mommy! Daddy!" She cried to the empty park. "I wanna go home!"

Suddenly, she heard footsteps. She could her them getting closer and closer, until…

* * *

><p>Sheldon rang the doorbell, which was unusual, but he was not in the correct state of mind. The door opened to a stunned Gary Kripke.<p>

"Dr. Cooper?"

"The jig's up, Kripke! Give me my daughter!"

"Dr. Cooper, she's not here."

"Gary," Amy said. "We're not going to be mad at you. We just need to take her home."

"No, I mean she's really not here. She left about an hour ago."

Sheldon and Amy stared at Gary.

"A…An hour!?" Sheldon whispered in disbelief

"Yeah…is she not there?"

"No, Leonard and Penny would have called us."

"Oh my god! Here, I'll help you."

"Thank you for the offer Gary, but I would feel more comfortable if you stayed here, just in case she came back here." Amy said.

"Okay. Call me if you hear anything."

Sheldon and Amy climbed in the car, both of their faces in shock. Without any warning, Sheldon turned the keys and sped out onto the street.

"Sheldon, where are we going?"

No answer.

"Sheldon?"

Still no answer. The speed of the car was beginning to scare Amy.

"SHELDON!"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

"Sheldon, you're going too fast!"

"I don't care."

"SHELDON COOPER, PULL THIS CAR OVER RIGHT NOW!"

Sheldon violently pulled over the car, leaving both of them out of breath. Sheldon turned and looked at Amy. As soon as they locked eyes, Sheldon broke down. He was crying so hysterically, he was shaking in Amy's arms. Amy was trying to keep it together for both of their sakes, but tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"Where is she Amy?" Sheldon said in between sobs. "Where's our baby girl?"

"I don't know, sweetheart."

That was it for Amy. She couldn't hold back anymore. They just sobbed in each other's arms for who knows how long. Sheldon was so worked up that he started coughing. Amy got out of the car, so Sheldon could get some fresh air, but Sheldon couldn't even support himself and fell to the ground taking Amy with him. He threw up on the ground while Amy rubbed his back.

"It's my fault." Sheldon panted. "The pushing, the nagging…it's all my doing, Amy. I'm the reason she's missing."

Before Amy could respond, Sheldon ran. He ran until he found an empty space, where he huddled next to a tree, and continued to cry. Lily's life flashed before his eyes. Every kiss, every hug, every smile. He would do anything to hold her in his arms again. Suddenly, he heard a noise that shut him up immediately. It was a high-pitched noise, almost like a cry for help. He slowly walked towards whoever or whatever was with him. He started to get nervous. He could feel himself getting closer and closer, until…

"Daddy?"

No. It was a dream. It couldn't be.

"L…Lily?"

It wasn't a dream. There she was.

"Your footsteps. I thought…I thought that…" Lily stuttered.

She was covered in dirt, but he didn't care. He held Lily in his arms for who knows how long. All he knew was his baby girl was safe in his arms. Tears of relief streamed down both of their faces.

"Oh Lil, I thought I lost you," Sheldon whispered in her ear.

"I'm sorry. And Dad…I don't hate you."

"No, no, no Lil. I'm sorry too, but you were right about what you said."

"Daddy, are you crying?"

She had never, in her seventeen years of existence, seen her dad this emotional. At that, Sheldon quickly wiped his eyes.

"Well…" Was there a point in lying?

"It's ok Dad. You're allowed."

Sheldon looked at Lily's piercing blue eyes. Her concern, her maturity, her love…she was Amy. He usually wasn't a big fan of affectionate feelings, but he figured this was an exception.

"C'mon kid. Let's go surprise Mom. Being so worried, everyone will be glad you're safe and sound."

"Dad."

"Yeah?"

"That's a dangling participle."

Sheldon smiled. He took his daughter's hand as they walked out of the park.

"I think I may have found an editor for my papers."

**Yay! Lily's safe and sound! Now Sheldon and Amy know the consequences of pushing their daughter. Thank you for the reviews!**


	9. College Drop Off

**Hey everyone! In honor of Halloween, here's another chapter for you! Now that Sheldon and Amy are finally on board with Lily's choices, it's time to drop her off at college! In this chapter, we really get insight into the heart of the Cooper family relationship, so I hope you enjoy! **

The room was filled with cardboard boxes. Each was labeled, and there was so many of them it looked like they were in an attic. Each of the guys took a box, and was struggling to get it down the stairs, as Bernadette and Penny took the fridge like it was nothing.

"Stupid stairs," Leonard said out of breath.

"I mean what's in here? Rocks?" Howard said.

"I think that's just her clothes, dude." Raj said.

"Gentlemen, keep moving! We'd like to get her there before she graduates." Sheldon yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"Dad…"

Amy kissed her daughter on the head.

"Just let him do his thing, Lil."

"Yeah, but we're the ones that have to deal with him all the way to Michigan."

Lily had been accepted to Michigan State University, which happened to be the number one teaching colleges in the country. Of course, Sheldon bragged about his daughter's accomplishment to basically everyone. Lily was glad her dad was finally on board, but now she wanted to dump him overboard. Lily gave the gang all their kisses and hugs. Leonard and Penny were coming with them to help Lily set up, but with all the boxes in the car, they were going in a separate car.

Lily got into the car, and was surrounded by boxes. She only had a little room to turn her head, and saw her parents in the front. Considering it was going to be a long ride, she decided to close her eyes.

"Looks like our little college freshman's a little tired." Amy said as she glanced into the rearview mirror.

"Well, it is a long ride." Sheldon said. Amy took a deep breath. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I just…I can't believe we're already at this point. I mean, Sheldon we're dropping her off at college!"

"Yeah, it's hard to believe."

"You're taking this well."

"It's the natural cycle of education, Amy. Middle school, high school, and then college."

"Yeah, but this is different. She's going to be on her own. She'll be making her own choices. This is the day part of our parenting…ends."

"We're still her parents, Amy."

"Yes, but we can't tell her what to do anymore, we just have to guide her in the right direction, and hope she makes the right choice."

Sheldon stared at the open road, thinking about what Amy just said.

"But what if she doesn't make the right choice?"

"She'll learn from her mistakes."

"So, for the rest of her life, we're supposed to just watch from the sidelines as we HOPE she makes the right choices?"

"Yes." Sheldon stared at the road again as Amy kissed his cheek. "She'll make the right choices, Sheldon. She's our daughter."

Sheldon nodded as he grabbed Amy's hand and kissed it. "She is our daughter."

* * *

><p>As they neared the campus, Amy woke Lily up.<p>

"Lily, time to get up sweetheart. We're almost there."

Lily looked up as she took her head off her box pillow.

"So Lily, are you excited?" Sheldon asked.

"Yeah, sure."

"You're going to love college, Lil." Amy said. "You really get to learn what you love and re-invent yourself."

"But don't do too much reinventing." Sheldon added.

Amy nudged him and gave him an icy stare. "Just think of all the new friends you're going to make."

"I'm nervous."

It was the first time Lily had ever expressed nervousness to either of her parents. She had been feeling it for a while, but now the day was actually here.

"What are you nervous about, Lily?" Amy asked.

"Well, I'm going to be on my own. You guys aren't going to be with me."

Amy opened her mouth to speak, but Sheldon beat her to it.

"Lil, you know we're going to always be with you. Even if we're not there in person, we'll always be there." Amy smiled at Sheldon. She was very impressed with Sheldon's answer to Lily. It was the truth, yet he was compassionate. He wasn't telling her to 'suck it up' or scaring her. He was almost like he knew how she was feeling. "And you think you're scared? I was eleven on my first day of college. I was excited to finally be surrounded by people who were like me. Those people obviously were not a fan of being outsmarted by a twelve year old. I hid in my room for most of my college career because I thought 'being social' was a waste of time. People called me Cooped-up Cooper. If I have any advice for you Lily, it's this: enjoy your time at college, and don't let life pass you by, by being a cooped-up Cooper."

Amy stared at Sheldon. He had never talked so openly about his time at college. She knew he was the valedictorian, and he passed out before he could give his speech, but he never talked about how lonely he was.

"And never pass up an exciting opportunity. Even if it's something small, like going out to dinner." Amy added.

"Small decisions like that could change your life." Sheldon said.

"Dad, going out to a restaurant isn't going to change my life."

"How do you know? You could meet someone somewhere and they'll become your best friend."

"Yeah Lil," Amy added. "Life does that to you sometimes. And it could happen anywhere…at a restaurant, a sports game…"

"Even at a coffee shop." Sheldon said stealing a glance from Amy.

Amy looked lovingly at her husband, as he took her hand.

"Yup…even at a coffee shop."

Lily couldn't help, but smile at her parents. It was amazing after being in a relationship for over twenty years that they still looked at each other like that, completely and hopelessly in love. She knew how they met, and it was the ultimate love story. It was because of her parents that she knew true love existed, and that some people are just meant to be. In her heart, she wanted her relationship with Gary to be like her parent's. Being each other first loves, and never having that on again off again relationship like Aunt Penny and Uncle Leonard. She wanted a smooth, stable, loving relationship that would last a lifetime. Her admiring bliss was short-lived as her mom said two words she was dreading to hear.

"We're here."

* * *

><p>Everything seemed like a blur after that. Penny and Amy were doing the bedding, as Leonard set up the TV. She was trying to set up her desk, but really wasn't doing much of anything. Like Sheldon, she was just sitting there watching everything happen before her eyes.<p>

"Alright, I think we're all set." Leonard said.

"Have the greatest time ever, sweetie. You'll do great!" Penny said as she hugged her.

"I will." She then pulled her aunt and uncle close. "Make sure they don't do anything too crazy."

Leonard and Penny laughed.

"Oh, don't worry about that Lily. We've seen it all." Leonard said.

They left leaving the Coopers alone.

"Well, I guess this is it, huh?" Amy looked at her daughter. Lily nodded. Amy took Lily in her arms, and hugged her tight. "You'll be amazing, and we'll only be a phone call away if you need anything."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too." After she broke the hug, she caught a glimpse of Sheldon's face. He had that look. That look of fear, that look of realization. It was like first grade all over again. "Sheldon, I'll meet you in the car."

She gave him that look. That reassuring look that told him that she knew he needed this moment alone with his daughter. He nodded and Amy left.

They both stared at the ground not knowing what to say. After a few seconds, Sheldon went over to his daughter, and hugged her with all the love in his heart. Her short breaths in his ear told him, she was trying to hold back tears. He had to say something that would ease her. He broke the hug, looked into those beautiful blue eyes, and said:

"I'm so proud of you, Lily."

Her dad had told her "good job" when she got good test grades. He told her she was "very pretty" at her prom. He told her he was "happy for her" when she got accepted into her dream school. But her dad had never told her that he was proud of her.

"Thanks, Dad." Lily choked out as tears streamed down her face.

"Wait a second. I almost forgot." Sheldon reached into his pocket, and took out something, and put it into Lily's hand. She opened her hand to reveal the Flash pin he had given her so many years ago on her first day of school. She smiled. "Now you're all set."

They kissed, and Sheldon made his way to the door. He was about to open it when something stopped him. He didn't know what, but something inside him made him turn around. He turned around to see a six-year-old girl with a striped cardigan, brown skirt, patent leather shoes, with a purple butterfly clip in her hair, and a Disney Princess backpack on her back.

"Daddy?" The six year old asked.

Sheldon started hyperventilating as tears blurred his vision. He needed to stop this. This wasn't Lily. This was what he wished was Lily. The little girl that idolized him. The little girl that hung on his every word. The little girl that made him feel like the father Lily deserved. But Lily wasn't that little girl anymore, and he needed to accept that. He closed his eyes to make it stop.

"Daddy?" The eighteen-year-old asked.

Suddenly, in a blink of an eye, there stood the mature, independent, college freshman Lily. That's how fast it happened. In the blink of an eye.

"W…What?"

"I love you so much, Daddy."

Sheldon smiled. In that moment, he realized the six-year-old Lily and the eighteen year old Lily weren't two separate people. They were the same person. He still saw a glimpse of the little girl inside Lily, but he was glad that the outside was now a confident mature adult that he was proud to call his daughter.

"I love you too, Lily."

With a smile on his face, he turned the knob and opened the door.

"Hey Dad?"

Sheldon turned to see his daughter give him the Vulcan salute, just as she did more than a decade ago. He smiled and returned the gesture.

"Right back at ya, kid."

He stepped out the door and closed it behind him. He stood by the closed door, and took a deep breath. "My little girl…" he whispered to himself as he looked at the door one last time before he left.

* * *

><p>As soon as he got in the car, Amy hugged him. She knew this was going to be rough on him. He held onto Amy for dear life, and gave her a kiss.<p>

"We did good, Dr. Cooper."

"We did, didn't we?"

Amy held out her hand, which Sheldon gladly took and kissed it. They remained that way in silence for the remainder of the drive. Suddenly, Sheldon heard a text message on his phone. He glanced and saw it was Lily. He immediately panicked and pulled the car over.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Lily."

He opened it preparing for the worst, but only saw two words.

**Thanks Dad**

Sheldon looked at it confused. He then typed his response.

**For what?**

What could she possibly be thanking him for? For leaving? For not crying? For not embarrassing her? His question was answered as Lily's response flashed up on his screen. He stared at it for what seemed like forever.

"Sheldon, what is it?" Without a word, he showed Amy the conversation. "Oh Sheldon!" She kissed him on the cheek, and held him in her arms as her husband melted into her.

As Amy held him, Sheldon thought about the many times where he thought his life just wasn't worth it. He knew he would probably end up alone, and be labeled a nerd or a weirdo for the rest of his life. Then, Amy came along. She made him realize that he was worth it. The day he married Amy, he swore that was the moment that he realized all the hardships he endured were worth it. Then, Amy gave him the gift of Lily. When he held her for the first time, he thought that was the moment…but he was wrong. The day he realized that everything in his life: the name-calling, the bullying, the loneliness, was worth it, was today. The day when his daughter thanked him after dropping her off at college, and when he asked what for, she simply replied:

**For being you!**

**I know, that was an emotional roller coaster, right? Finally, Sheldon has accepted the fact that Lily has grown up, but she still is, and will always be, Daddy's little girl. Keep those reviews coming!**


	10. Asking Permission

**Hello all! I think after that AMAZING episode last night, a celebratory chapter is in order in honor of Sheldon and Amy! This chapter is a little different because it actually doesn't have Lily in it at all. But don't worry! This chapter explores a different relationship, and a very special one. Hope you enjoy!**

"I'll be back in a few minutes, I just need to run to the store to get a few more things," Amy said as she ran to the door with the keys in her hand.

It looked like college move-in day all over again. Boxes and boxes everywhere. However, this wasn't a move to college, this was a move to San Diego. After all her hard work at college, Lily had landed a job teaching high school literature in San Diego. Lily was out with her friends, and Amy was buying a few more things for Lily's apartment, leaving Sheldon alone.

He looked around, getting a sense of déjà vu, but he was happy that Lily loved what she was doing. Plus, it would be nice to go back to the days where it was just he and Amy in the apartment. A little part of him ached though at the fact that this was a permanent move, not just a temporary one, like college. He was interrupted by a knock at the door. He opened to see the face of Gary Kripke.

"Hello Dr. Cooper."

"Hello Gary. Lily's not here right now, I think she's-"

"I didn't come here to see Lily, I…um…actually came here to speak to you."

Sheldon looked at Gary curiously. Why would he want to talk to him?

"Okay, have a seat."

Gary looked the same way he did now as he did when he was sixteen, asking Sheldon if he could take Lily out on a date. Even though he was now twenty-four, there was no difference as he took his place in the white chair.

Gary took a deep breath.

"Dr. Cooper, when I was in second grade, I was different then all the other kids. I understood things that no one my age could understand, and I hated it. I hated it because there was no one like me. Then, one day this girl came up to me after seeing me solve an algebraic equation, and she started talking to me about how she thought she was the only one that understood algebra. From that day on, we started talking after school a lot. Then, years later, I finally realized that I had feelings for this girl. I figured she would never go for a weirdo like me, but when I finally asked her out, she was…excited. Then, before I knew it, I was falling in love with her. I realized I was never truly happy unless she was with me. No one could truly understand me unless she translated it. I mean, we've had our rough patches, but we've always talked things out. She has been my one love. The person I never knew I needed until she came into my life. Dr. Cooper…"

"Gary, I'm going to stop you there."

Gary visibly went pale. From the second Gary started his story, Sheldon knew where this was going. It was the speech. Sheldon was going to tune out for the rest of the story, but he realized something once he heard the untold story of his daughter's relationship. He was never really involved in Gary and Lily's relationship. That was Amy's territory. Amy and Lily would talk about Gary in her room for hours, while he would wait for Amy in the bedroom impatiently. Plus he had no desire to hear about the other man in his daughter's life. However, he never realized the parallels between their relationship, and his own until today. The second half of Gary's speech was basically a quote from Sheldon's brain. His daughter affected Gary the same way Amy affected him. He suddenly felt sympathy for Gary and possibly even closer to him.

"You never thought you'd find love, did you Gary?"

"No, sir."

"And even when you did find it, your brain kept fighting you telling you that you were a man of science. You were too evolved for something like love."

"Y…Yes."

"But in your heart, you knew it was too late. You were in love, and there was no turning back. She makes you feel complete, and…actually worth loving."

"Dr. Cooper, how do you-"

"Gary, twenty-seven years ago, I got dragged by my friends to a coffee shop. They had set me up for online dating, where it was said I would find my perfect mate. I went just to prove them wrong. I didn't realize it at the moment, but I was about to the meet the person that would change my life forever. The person that would completely change me, yet keep me the same."

Sheldon then went over to his desk and pulled out something from his drawer, and gave it to Gary.

"A receipt?"

"Not just a receipt. A receipt dated May 24, 2010 where I paid for tepid water for a woman I had just met. A woman that would be my only intellectual equal. A woman that would make me want to spit fire at any other man that looked at her. A woman that would be my first girlfriend. A woman who had the ability to make my mind go blank when I kissed her. A woman whose presence was like my oxygen. A woman, who would be the first person I was not related to, that I would say 'I love you' to. A woman who, piece by piece, would take down my emotional walls, and I would let her. A woman who would make me feel like my life had a purpose." Sheldon then took the receipt from Gary, and put it back in his drawer. "I didn't know it on May 24, 2010, but that day I had met my future wife…my one true love."

Gary sat there, mouth open as Dr. Cooper finished his speech. He was fascinated by the relationship between Sheldon and Amy. Lily had obviously gotten the best traits of both her parents, but he could tell from the moment he met Lily's parents, that they had a stable relationship. It wasn't until today that he realized how right Lily had been, her parents did have the ultimate love story.

"Gary, I'll be honest. When I first met you, I didn't like you. Everyone thought it was because you were a Kripke, and I'll admit that didn't help, but it wasn't the major reason. As soon as I realized that your intentions were good with Lily, I panicked."

"Why?"

"Because you were perfect for my daughter, and it scared me to death. I knew one day you were going to knock on my door, and give me the same speech you just gave me, and I was ready to fight tooth and nail with you…but it wasn't until today that I saw something in you that I had never seen."

"What?"

"I saw myself…and for that reason, my answer is yes."

"W…What?"

"You better sweep her off her feet, Kripke because she deserves it."

"Dr. Cooper, I don't know what to say. I mean…thank you. Thank you for giving me the greatest joy in my life."

"You're welcome."

He then patted Gary on the shoulder, and he left, leaving Sheldon alone once again. It didn't seem like so long ago that was him. He had never been so nervous in his life as he stood on the roof with Amy. He had written a speech that he had prepared for weeks, but had forgot it in his drawer. He had no choice, but to wing it. He didn't remember what he said, all he remembered was Amy's eyes filling up, and as he knelt, he felt himself choking up as well. Sheldon Cooper knew the all the answers to every question in the entire universe, but this was a question even he couldn't answer. As he asked the most dangerous question you could ask anyone, a tear spilled from his eye. He was shaking, the box in his hand was shaking, Amy was shaking, but when she squeaked out a 'yes' from her downpour of tears, he felt like he won the Nobel Prize all over again.

"Hey, sorry. I couldn't find what I was looking for." Amy had come in with bags in her hand. Sheldon took the bags from her, and kissed her passionately. "Looks like someone missed me."

"How did you feel?"

"What?"

"How did you feel when I took that box from my jacket, and got down on one knee?"

Amy smiled.

"My first thought was 'This has to be a dream.' Then, when I realized it was real, I thought, 'I'm the luckiest girl in the world.'"

"You thought you were the lucky one?"

"Of course. Dr. Sheldon Cooper, one of the greatest minds of the 21st century who happens to be the love of my life, is asking to spend the rest of his life with him. What were you thinking?"

"She's going to say no."

"What? Sheldon how could you ever think that!"

"The odds that a beautiful, captivating scientist would fall for someone like me is astronomical."

"Well, science did say you were my perfect mate." As Sheldon held Amy in his arms, he thought of Lily and Gary. If this is what the future held for them, then he was glad of his decision. If his daughter's love life came anywhere near his own, he would be a happy dad.

"I'm so glad we both went to that coffee shop."

Amy looked up and smiled.

"Me too, champ. So, what did you do while I was gone?"

Sheldon thought. "Nothing much."

_I just gained a son-in-law while you were gone._

**I really liked the realization between both Sheldon and Gary that they're not so different after all! Unfortunately, the next chapter is the last one, and it's one that seals the story up in a great way! Keep your great reviews coming!**


	11. Walking Down the Aisle

**I'm sad to say that this will be the last chapter! First of all, I need to thank my viewers and reviewers. Without you guys, I wouldn't have had the motivation to even write this story. I think it's very important not to milk a story too long, so I think this is the perfect way to end this beautiful journey with the Coopers! Thank you and, of course, I hope you enjoy!**

Sheldon straightened his tie as he looked at himself in the mirror for what seemed like the tenth time that day. The last time he felt like this was his wedding day. Actually, he probably was never as nervous as he was that day.

_"Sheldon, that's the millionth time you looked in the mirror. You look fine." Leonard said._

_Sheldon looked to see himself looking pretty dashing in his tuxedo. But the reason why he was in it, was settling in, and it scared him to no end._

_"I can't…" Sheldon suddenly bolted for the door._

_"Get him!" Leonard yelled as Howard and Raj got him by the shoulders and with Leonard's help dragged him to a chair. Sheldon tried to wiggle free, but Raj and Howard had him good, as Leonard locked the door. "You're not going anywhere, Sheldon…not today."_

_"But Leonard, I…I can't do this!"_

_"Yes you can, buddy. If you couldn't, we would have let you go."_

_"Sheldon," Howard added. "I felt the same way on my wedding day, but when you see her looking at you, it'll all go away."_

_"I mean, you guys had the most stable relationship out of all of us." Raj said._

_"Sheldon, you have a woman out there who is ready to spend the rest of her life with you, bless her heart." Leonard said. "Aren't you ready to spend the rest of your life with her?"_

_Sheldon nodded._

_He walked out to his spot, fidgeting, and when the music played, he started to hyperventilate. He didn't even notice everyone standing up or the change in music._

_Then, he saw her._

_The most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. It was almost as if she wasn't human. It was just as Howard had said. It was as if all of the people there had vanished, and it was just the two of them. All he remembered about the ceremony was looking at Amy, and the electricity that shot through his entire body as he swept her off her feet in a kiss that even made Sheldon Cooper's mind go fuzzy._

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Sheldon turned around to see his wife in a stunning blue dress with a matching wrap. She had on a little makeup, but not too much. She fixed his tie, until it was exactly right. "You ok there, champ?"

"I'm fine."

"Why don't you take a little trip next door, it may calm you down."

"What do you mean? I'm calm." Amy kissed Sheldon on the lips.

"You always think you're calm, sweetheart."

"Alright, I'll go next door…if you make me a promise."

"And what may that be?"

"Save a dance for me."

Amy smiled. "Of course, Dr. Cooper."

* * *

><p>He went to the door, and was ready to knock. But he couldn't. He then heard girls giggling, and he saw the knob turn, which made him jump to the side. He saw the girls filing out of the room, with Penny being the last one.<p>

"Sheldon?"

"Is…is she in there?"

"Yeah, she's in there."

"Do you think it's…"

"It's the perfect time." Penny walked over to Sheldon and gave him a kiss on the cheek, and hugged him. "You did good, moonpie." Penny whispered in his ear as she walked off. Sheldon took a deep breath and went inside. At first, all he saw was a veil. He couldn't even make out her dress there was so much veil.

"Make sure you don't trip on that." Sheldon said.

At that, Lily turned around and finally locked eyes with her father. Sheldon almost couldn't believe his eyes. His daughter looked like an angel. She looked beautiful at her prom, but this just took his breath away.

"Dad, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just…I don't want you to fall."

"I'm not going to fall, Dad. So, do you like the dress?"

"It's nice…compared to you." Lily was speechless. Her dad just told her that she looked even more beautiful then her dress!

"Th…Thank you Dad."

"You look just as stunning as your mother did when we got married." Lily looked down in embarrassment at her father's words. "Everything will be fine Lil, don't worry. If I can make it to the altar, so can he."

Lily looked up in disbelief. It was like he could read her mind sometimes. They smiled and Lily nodded.

"Oh I almost forgot, Dad." Lily said as she got something from her jewelry box. "This is for you."

She put something in his palm, and when he opened it he was in shock. It was the Flash pin. He looked at the pin, then at Lily, who smiled as she pinned to his tuxedo.

"You need it more then I do."

At that, they heard a knock at the door.

"Okay guys, we're ready when you are." Penny said with a smile.

Sheldon looked at his daughter. He wasn't ready. He would never be ready. This was it. This was the end of the road. After today, he would no longer be the only man in her life. He was handing over his only daughter to someone else.

"I'll always be here for you, Dad."

It was as if she had read his mind. He then knew that Lily would always be his daughter, and he would always be her father. Nothing would ever change that.

"Let's do this, kid."

They walked over hand in hand to the closed doors. Sheldon could see the bridesmaids walking down the aisle wishing they could go slower. Suddenly, his anxiety was stopped by a kiss on the cheek. He turned to look at his daughter.

"I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Lily…and thank you."

"For what?"

"For making me the luckiest dad in the world."

Tears filled Lily's eyes, but then the music changed. Suddenly, her heart was in her throat. The doors opened, and there Gary was at the other end, waiting for her.

Sheldon took a deep breath, linked his arm with Lily, and started walking. The aisle seemed long at first, but then Gary got closer and closer. When did they suddenly get halfway? They needed to slow down. Things had to slow down!

_'Ience. Da' 'ov 'ience…Yay, Daddy's taking me to school…Dad, what if they make fun of me…Daddy, you got me lilies…That's okay, you don't like the slow songs…I'm failing physics…This isn't our plan, it's YOUR plan… So Dad, there's this boy in school. His name's Gary, and…well…he asked me whether I wanted to go to the movies with him tonight…You ruined everything…I want to be an English teacher…Just go away, I hate you…You know that's a dangling participle…You guys aren't going to be with me…I'm going to be on my own…I got a teaching job in San Diego…Gary asked me to marry him...Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm engaged…I love you, Daddy._

Sheldon's mind was going crazy! Almost thirty years of time in a matter of seconds. He suddenly looked at Gary. He had seen that face before. It was a face he had seen in a picture. A picture that Penny had taken as Amy walked down the aisle. It mirrored that of his own face when he saw his beautiful bride walk down the aisle. He looked at Lily, who was looking as lovesick as Amy did when she saw Sheldon at the altar.

"Who gives this woman to this man in marriage?"

Sheldon looked at his daughter deep in the eyes. He had said this once before, years ago to the love of his life…and now he was saying it to the second love of his life.

"I do." He went to let go of Lily, but realized she was still holding on to his hand. When Sheldon looked in her piercing blue eyes, he saw a single tear roll down her cheek. She felt it. He could tell. Dhe was feeling exactly what he was feeling. She feared losing him. That marrying Gary would somehow harm their relationship. A relationship they had cherished her whole life. "Let go, sweetheart," Sheldon whispered in her ear. "I'll still be here."

Lily smiled. He would still be here. He would always be here. She nodded as she let go of her father's hand. It was as if it had happened in slow motion, and then Sheldon felt Lily's fingers slip out of his hand

* * *

><p>The rest of the wedding was a blur for Sheldon. The ceremony was so internally emotional for him, that before he realized it, they were at the reception. Gary and Lily had just been announced, and he stared as his daughter danced with her new husband.<p>

"So father of the bride, are you ready?" Amy asked.

"Ready for what?" Sheldon asked in confusion.

"Ladies and gentleman, at this time, the bride will now share a dance with her father," the emcee announced.

Sheldon froze. He completely forgot about the traditional father-daughter dance! He slowly made his way to the dance floor. Lily smiled as she wrapped her arm around his shoulder and put her other hand in his. The song then started.

_I've got sunshine on a cloudy day._

_When it's cold outside I've got the month of May._

_I guess you'd say_

_What can make me feel this way?_

_My girl (my girl, my girl)_

_Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl)._

"Look at me," Sheldon said. "Dancing with the belle of the ball."

Lily cheeks flushed as she looked down. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I know Gary's a little bit more skilled in the dance department, but-"

"Not for the dance, Dad. Thank you for making this the happiest day of my life."

Sheldon smiled. "Anything for my little girl." He then realized what he said, and panicked. "I didn't mean that literally, of course…you're obviously tall, and mature…"

"Daddy, I'll always be your little girl."

That was it. After twenty-five years, he finally got the validation that he needed. He no longer had to worry about his relationship with his daughter. Their bond could never be broken. He smiled as he rested his head on Lily as she put her head on his shoulder.

"Dad, you know how you said that at a certain point, you knew Mom was the one?"

"Yeah."

"I knew Gary was the one. You know how?"

"How?"

"When I was little, I made a list of qualities that I wanted in a future husband. Obviously, I wanted him to be kind, loving, funny, but he needed one special quality. One that I knew Gary had the second I met him."

"And what was that?"

"He needed to be like you."

Sheldon stopped dead, and looked at his daughter. "What?"

"Dad, you set the bar, and let me tell you, you set it pretty darn high. I thought I was never going to find a man that loved me as much as you did. But when I met Gary, I saw in him: your ambition, your passion for science, and your undeniable love for me, and I knew I had a winner. I was always looking for you."

Sheldon just stared at his beautiful daughter, not even realizing tears were falling from his eyes. Lily dried them with her thumb, and kissed his tear-stained cheek. "I love you, Daddy."

The song ended and Lily left, leaving Sheldon speechless.

"Well hello there, handsome." Amy said as she came up to him. "I believe I was supposed to save a dance for someone?"

Sheldon just stood in place frozen. Amy smiled as she cupped Sheldon's cheek and gave him a kiss.

Sheldon smiled as he took Amy in his arms as the next song played.

_Some day, when I'm awfully low_

_When the world is cold_

_I will feel a glow just thinking of you_

_And the way you look tonight_

"You okay there, Dad?" Amy asked. Sheldon nodded. "Looks like Daddy's a little emotional."

"I pale in comparison to you, Mom. I saw you at the ceremony."

"How was the dance?"

Sheldon looked down as he felt the tingle in his cheek where Lily had kissed him.

"I was the standard, Amy. She said she knew Gary was the one because he reminded her of me."

Amy smiled. "Well, that must make you feel good."

"Good? Amy, I feel like on top of the world! I finally feel like the father Lily deserves."

Amy was on the verge of tears. "Oh Sheldon, you always were." Amy said as she brushed a stray tear from Sheldon's cheek.

"I love you so much, Amy."

"I know." Amy winked as Sheldon smiled at her Star Wars quote.

Amy then rested her head on Sheldon's shoulder. He kissed the top of her head, and Sheldon looked up to see Lily right across from him. Her head resting on Gary's shoulder, like Amy's was. They looked at each other and smiled as they danced with their significant others. Lily then put her hand up, so only Sheldon could see, followed by a wink. Sheldon did the same thing as the two gave each other the most loving, passionate, and powerful Vulcan salute in the universe.

_Lovely ... Don't you ever change,_

_Keep that breathless charm._

_Won't you please arrange it? 'Cause I love you_

_a-just the way you look tonight._

_Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,_

_Just the way you look tonight._

THE END

**Well, that's it! We ended at the ultimate father-daughter milestone…finally giving her away! However, they both know that they'll always be there for each other! I feel so happy knowing that so many of you resonated with this story, and thanks to you all, this has been the most reviewed piece I've ever had! So thank you so much for that! I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it!**


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